National battery-making facility coming to Warwickshire

A national battery manufacturing facility, which will have £80m of funding from the government, is to be built in Coventry and Warwickshire.A site is currently being sought for the building, aimed at driving the development of battery technology.Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark said it would be a place where the best “academia and industry” minds would come together.Battery technology was a game-changing form of energy innovation, he said.Mr Clark stated it was “one of the cornerstones of our ambition… to ensure that the UK leads the world, and reaps the economic benefits, in the global transition to a low carbon economy”.Midlands Live: Deadline day for city’s Commonwealth Games bid; New battery development centreHe said: “The new facility will propel the UK forward in this thriving area, bringing together the best minds from academia and industry together to deliver innovation and R&D that will further enhance the West Midlands international reputation as a cluster of automotive excellence.”Jim O’Boyle, Coventry cabinet member for jobs and regeneration said Coventry and Warwickshire has provided innovation and skills for the automotive sector for many years.”I hope battery development will create thousands of new jobs and if there is one thing we know for certain, it’s that having a job changes lives. That’s the real reason this is such good news,” he said.
Source: Warwickshire